Wifi 6 connection issues with Monterey

[SRQrws]

I've noticed issues with Monterey maintaining a Wifi 6 connection. I have an M1 iMac that I upgraded to Monterey and a new MBP 16 with Monterey that both exhibit the issue. If I Option-click on wifi, it always shows 802.11ac (wifi 5), then after about a second it will show 802.11ax. Prior to upgrading to Monterey, my iMac would always show a wifi 6 connection. For reference, the iMac is about 15 feet from my Amplifi Alien router with a clear line of sight. I've rebooted the router with no change. A few days ago, I got a new MBP 16 and it exhibits the same behavior as the iMac. Wifi initially shows 802.11ac, then after a second or two it will show 802.11ax. I'm not seeing an impact on connection speed, but am curious if anyone else with a wifi 6 router has seen this issue with Monterey. My iOS devices with wifi 6 capability all connect with wifi 6 and have no problems. It definitely seems to be a Monterey thing....

 

[Lrb]

I just updated my 7 day old MacBook Air to Monterey and now i can’t get any WiFi connection. It says “WiFi not configured”. Apple claims they have never seen this issue and I need to bring it in. Has anyone else had this issue?

 

[elvisimprsntr]

'20 M1 MBP, Monterey 12.1 beta 3
EnGenius EWS377APv3 AX3600 AP

No issues connecting to 2.4 or 5 GHz 802.11ax (WiFi 6)

 

[elvisimprsntr]

Amplifi Alien

Specs on that router indicate tri-band 2.4/5GHz Wifi 6 and 5GHz Wifi 5

AmpliFi | Faster, Whole-Home Wi-Fi

Not Just a Wi-Fi Router, It’s a Mesh Wi-Fi System.

amplifi.com

Are you using the same SSID for both WiFi 5 and 6? My AP has band "steering." Perhaps your router is bouncing clients between WiFi 5/6, or 2.4/5GHz, or 5GHz DFS to causing your router to switch channels.

The 5GHz “Problem” For Wi-Fi Networks: DFS

Wi-Fi networking provides us with 2 bands for the operation of wireless LAN networks: the 2.4Ghz band and the 5GHz band. The 2.4GHz band has...

wifinigel.blogspot.com

 

[SRQrws]

Specs on that router indicate tri-band 2.4/5GHz Wifi 6 and 5GHz Wifi 5

AmpliFi | Faster, Whole-Home Wi-Fi

Not Just a Wi-Fi Router, It’s a Mesh Wi-Fi System.

amplifi.com

Are you using the same SSID for both WiFi 5 and 6? My AP has band "steering." Perhaps your router is bouncing clients between WiFi 5/6, or 2.4/5GHz, or 5GHz DFS to causing your router to switch channels.

The 5GHz “Problem” For Wi-Fi Networks: DFS

Wi-Fi networking provides us with 2 bands for the operation of wireless LAN networks: the 2.4Ghz band and the 5GHz band. The 2.4GHz band has...

wifinigel.blogspot.com

One SSID. The problem only appeared after upgrading to Monterey on the M1 iMac and has appeared since day 1 with the new MBP. All other wifi 6 devices (iPhone 13 Pro, iPad Airs) work fine and stay connected to wifi 6.

 

[dizmonk]

Are your speeds any different?

 

[elvisimprsntr]

Are your speeds any different?

My WiFi speeds are great! Bottle neck is my ISP, but I’m only paying for 300 symmetric

 

[IowaLynn]

Maybe you want to look for router firmware update, or a new router. It never should have shown ax to begin with.

 

[ChannelChick]

Its a known problem that Apple finally admitted to and the Monterey 12.1 update is supposed to fix it. It did connect to wifi but then my magic keyboard and mouse started having problems. The issues are sporadic and ongoing.

As an aside, if you arent yet on Monterey 12.1 and you use Microsoft Outlook, don't update to 12.1. It breaks it!

 

[SRQrws]

Its a known problem that Apple finally admitted to and the Monterey 12.1 update is supposed to fix it. It did connect to wifi but then my magic keyboard and mouse started having problems. The issues are sporadic and ongoing.

As an aside, if you arent yet on Monterey 12.1 and you use Microsoft Outlook, don't update to 12.1. It breaks it!

I'm on Monterey 12.1 and Outlook works fine. I use the Microsoft 365 version of Outlook. Are you using a different version (like Mac Office)?

 

[ChannelChick]

I am using 365 but the desktop version, traditional Outlook (not new Outlook) breaks the search functionality. You can search using the web version or the New Outlook desktop with Monterey 12.1 but i do not care for the new Outlook desktop UI and online version does not allow you to add other email accounts, such as Gmail or other Exchange accounts.

I've ended up having to go back to Catalina because Big Sur 11.6 breaks Excel and that it the only supported version of Big Sur.

Its been an ongoing nightmare between Apple and Microsoft for the past year for me, to say the least.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

[redacted]